Christian Horner accuses Mercedes of ‘bullying’ in F1 row

Horner believes that Mercedes pressured the FIA into firing race director Michael Masi

Christian Horner has accused rivals Mercedes of putting pressure on the FIA (Getty Images)

Christian Horner has accused Mercedes of “bullying” the FIA into firing race director Michael Masi.

Masi was removed from the role he had held since 2019 last month as one of a number of changes made after the FIA investigated the controversial season-ending 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The Australian had been criticised for allowing some lapped cars to unlap themselves and the timing of the restart after a safety car period, affording Red Bull’s Max Verstappen the chance to produce a title-winning overtake of rival Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes.

Hamilton then refused to commit to returning to Formula 1 until he had seen the results of the FIA’s enquiry, neither using social media or speaking publicly for several months.

Red Bull boss Horner believes that Masi was fired due to the “pressure” put on the FIA by Mercedes, describing the behaviour of hias “tantamount to bullying”.

“Yes, Michael [Masi] did make mistakes and it was frustrating, but you have to look at the role that he was in and the tools that he had at his disposal,” Horner told the BBC.

“You can’t just place the blame on Michael. It’s unfair to do that. Was it right to fire him based on pressure that was placed on him from a rival team? That for me was wrong.

“That’s tantamount to bullying. It’s passively aggressive.”

Masi will be replaced by Niels Wittich and Eduardo Freitas, who will alternate as race director during the 2022 F1 season.

The pair of newcomers will be assisted by Herbie Blash, a long-time lieutenant of Masi’s predecessor Charlie Whiting.

The race directing restructure forms part of wider changes made by the FIA after events in the United Arab Emirates and the contentious end to a thrilling season-long battle for the Drivers’ Championship.

Both Horner and Mercedes counterpart Toto Wolff appeared to put pressure on Masi during the race, and under revamped rules, teams will no longer have direct radio access to the race director.

Though admitting that Masi had made “errors”, Horner thinks that the criticism and abuse of the Australian has gone too far and feels compelled to defend the outgoing race director, who is expected to be offered a role elsewhere in the FIA.

“We were on the receiving end of many of Michael’s errors,” Horner continued. “But he is in a high-pressure role in a high-pressure sport.

“But what it is unforgivable is the trolling, the abuse online, the death threats that he and his family had. That absolutely cannot be condoned in any way.

“That has nothing to do with the sport. It’s just out-and-out bullying and I would not accept that in any way within our organisation.

“That’s why I spoke up for Michael because I felt that he had not had any support. He had not had any backing. That he’d been hung out to dry and that there was this concerted campaign that was very passive-aggressively focused against him.

“I will always stand up for someone who is being bullied. Bullying is not acceptable.”

The 2022 F1 season begins in Bahrain, with race day on Sunday 20 March.